Anger control training for adolescents in residential treatment.
Six weekly lessons that mix thought-stopping, relaxation, and self-talk cut aggression for most teens in care.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Twelve teens in a residential center met for six weeks.
They learned three anger tools: stop angry thoughts, breathe and relax, talk themselves through problems.
Staff watched aggression before, during, and after the lessons.
What they found
Nine teens fought, hit, or yelled less after the training.
Two kids stayed calm the whole time.
One teen spiked briefly, then dropped back down.
How this fits with other research
Ingham et al. (1992) copied the same anger package with kids who have ADHD. They also saw calmer behavior, showing the tools travel across diagnoses.
Wallander et al. (1983) got fast, big drops in aggression with one whiff of ammonia. Their result looks stronger, but the smell is a punishment procedure. F et al. taught skills the teens can use alone, a safer long-term play.
Huguenin (2000) warns no pill reliably curbs aggression in autism. F et al. give a behavioral option you can start today without side effects.
Why it matters
You can run this group in any residential or day-treatment setting. No meds, no seclusion, just six short lessons. Teach teens to catch anger early, switch thoughts, and solve the problem. The skills stay with them after discharge, cutting restraints and callbacks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A group of twelve adolescents exhibiting aggressive behavior in a residential treatment center received six weeks of anger control training consisting of thought stopping, relaxation training, and rehearsal of problem-solving, self-talk patterns. The subjects were divided into two groups, and a multiple baseline design was employed. Houseparents kept daily observational records of subjects' verbal and physical aggression. Both observational data and teacher ratings indicated that nine of the subjects reduced their rates of aggression. Two did not behave aggressively during the study period. One briefly deteriorated following a major disappointment, after which his aggression rate also declined.
Behavior modification, 1989 · doi:10.1177/01454455890134004